TESO, (Texels Own Steamship Company) the ferry-company exists hundred years in 2007. It is an organisation with a magnificent history that starts with establishing problems and ends with the arrival of the latest ferry “Dokter Wagemaker” in the coming jubilee-year.
In the Maritiem & Jutters Museum the history of TESO is shown from the very beginning till now. Not only the TESO-fleet, the home ports Oudeschild and t’ Horntje, but also and the importance of the ferry for the island, tourism and employment are extensively shown. A monumental history where the characteristics of Texel and its inhabitants are emphatically present.

Nautical archaeology is a relatively young branch of science. The advantage being that the finds are often spectacular. Shortly a beautiful bronze bell and a chest filled with bullets turned up. These treasures from the seabed tell us about early day shipping and they also tell us a lot about everyday-life on board the ships. For example the museum exhibits, (lice) combs, tobacco-boxes, dinner-things and plates. But also: weapons, bullets and knives. In the museum you will enter a shipwreck wherein and around all these magnificent objects lie. The water swashes against the hull and fish swims around the wreck. A dive in the deep to unknown bethos-treasures.

The Texel Roads used to be the gateway to the world in the seventeenth century, as is Rotterdam for Western-Europe nowadays. Sailing vessels from all over the world dropped their anchors here, Merchants, fishermen, whalers, admirals and masters of the VOC (Dutch East-Indian Trading Company) left from this snug anchorage bound for destinations in all directions of the wind. The cargo being food and beverages for survival and wood for repair. Gold was taken for trading! On return, the goods bought abroad, were unloaded and shipped to Amsterdam.
A 72m² model of the “Texel Roads” shows how massively crowded with ships and people the roads were in those days. A beautiful view on the glorious days long gone by.